• A coalition of states, including Florida, New York, and Illinois, is uniting to implement a strategy aimed at supercharging American tourism and recharging related sectors during the federal shutdown.
• The shutdown is causing significant economic damage, with the CBO estimating a loss of $7 billion to $14 billion per week to the US economy.
• The crisis is disproportionately affecting tourism-dependent states, with Florida and New York facing weekly output losses reaching hundreds of millions of dollars.
• The U.S. Travel Association and a coalition of nearly 500 companies are urgently demanding that Congress pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the federal government immediately.

A significant coalition of US states, including Florida, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Idaho, is proactively uniting to safeguard and supercharge American tourism despite the severe economic pressures imposed by the federal government shutdown. This collaborative effort represents a powerful, long-term strategy aimed at supporting and recharging essential components of the travel economy, such as convention bureaus, casinos, hotels, airlines, and the cruise sector.

The initiative comes as the ongoing shutdown, which began on October 1, 2025, continues to inflict substantial financial damage nationwide. Estimates from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) suggest the US economy could lose between $7 billion and $14 billion per week. States heavily reliant on tourism and federal functions, such as Florida and New York, are particularly hard-hit, with projected weekly output losses reaching hundreds of millions of dollars. The disruption of federal services, including those from the FAA and TSA, has already caused massive flight delays and cancellations, compounding the stress on the travel industry ahead of the busy Thanksgiving holiday.

This broad coalition, also supported by nearly 500 travel industry groups like the U.S. Travel Association, is urging Congress to immediately pass a clean continuing resolution to restore funding. Their unified action underscores the critical role the tourism sector plays in the US economy and demonstrates a determined, proactive stance to mitigate the shutdown’s impact and ensure the industry retains its vibrancy and momentum for future growth.